Eat decadent carbs like cookies and muffins and lose weight? Sounds great, doesn't it? That is the premise behind the Smart for Life diet. The program uses its own line of "no hunger" foods and its own interventions like vitamin injections that are used to correct any metabolic conditions. All of this is accomplished under the supervision of a medical doctor. Smart for Life promises to help you lose 12-15 pounds in one month as long as you adhere to their program.

The Smart for Life program is built on the premise that 25% of overweight or obese people have metabolic or hormonal conditions that prevent them from losing weight.

With a line of "no hunger" foods like muffins, cookies, soups, shakes and desserts, all of the foods are made with organic and natural ingredients and contain protein, fiber and amino acids. Most famous for the Smart cookie, the product line has expanded to include different flavors and products of their trademark line.

In the fall of 2010, Smart for Life introduced its first ever gluten-free product, a gluten-free Banana Chocolate Chip square. The square is low in calories and includes HeroFiber(TM), a super fiber, which includes ForteFiber(TM) Soluble Dietary Fiber, which helps to maintain cholesterol, glucose and insulin levels that are already within the normal range. By adding this new gluten-free product, the weight loss plan can now be followed by anyone who follows a gluten-free diet.

The program also includes education and motivation instruction to help you target the emotional and mental issues behind your cravings, binges and weight issues. As part of the program, you are teamed up with a physician who works one-on-one with you to customize a program and treat any underlying metabolic dysfunction that you may have.

Once you sign up, you undergo a comprehensive physical examination that includes blood work, an EKG, a Body Mass Index analysis and a discussion of the program vitamin and supplement component. In some cases, injections of Smart injections at done at specified Smart for Life Centers.

You work with the Smart for Life staff at the designated Smart for Life Centers each week to monitor your weight loss. Once you've reached your weight goal, you enter into Phase 2 of the program which is the maintenance stage. Constant contact with the trained health professionals is required until you feel confident enough to keep your weight under control on your own.

But the Smart for Life Medical program also requires that you receive an injection of hCG, a growth hormone that increases during pregnancy. hCG is a very controversial diet practice because its long-term health effects are not known and it is not accepted or approved of by the medical community. The Smart for Life Medical Weight Loss program recommends the dieter receive this Smart Injection, which is intended to kick-start your weight loss and gives you a serious boost in energy. Just how long you must receive the injections is not known.

Teaches healthy eating habits that will allow you to maintain weight loss

Food products are organic and all-natural

Maintain healthy blood sugar levels and metabolism

CON

No scientific proof that the metabolic and hormonal conditions cited as being dysfunctional in overweight people are in fact dysfunctional

Eating the trademarked Smart for Life line of food is no magic bullet for losing weight

Smart for Life food line may be more of a marketing hype than the real deal

Extremely low calorie diet

Uses hCG injections as a way to stimulate weight loss, a very controversial and potentially dangerous practice

DIET and NUTRITION

On the Smart for Life eating program (the program doesn't like using the word "diet") you consume seven balanced meals throughout the day, which are intended to keep you in the fat burning zone continuously.

Six of those meals are Smart for Life cookies and one healthy, low fat dinner of chicken or fish with five cups of vegetables as outlined in your Program Guide included in your order.

The Smart for Life eating routine is built along the concept of mini-meals and retraining your body and mind to eat small and portion-controlled meals regularly throughout the day.

Daily caloric intake for Smart for Life is about 800 calories per day, eating seven meals and their food products, namely the Smart for Life cookies, and a healthy, low fat, high protein dinner.

Smart for Life cookies contain a proprietary blend of amino acids, fiber, and vitamins that are designed to quell cravings and give you the nutrition your body needs.

In addition, you can also use the cookies as a basis for certain Smart for Life recipes, like a Summer Parfait, which adds sugar-free preserves and chocolate dips to crumbled cookies.

There are also Smart Shakes, Smart Muffins and Smart Soups which can also be eaten as part of the Smart for Life program. One shake is the equivalent of two cookies and one soup or one muffin is the equivalent of one cookie.

The Smart for Life products contain HeroFiberTM, a super fiber blend, fish oil, plant sterols, inulin, flax seed, whole oats, and canola oil. There is also a gluten-free Smart for Life Banana Chocolate Chip Granola Square for those who cannot tolerate the protein gluten.

EXERCISE

On the Smart for Life diet, exercise is only a part of the maintenance of your weight loss. You will work with a Smart for Life health representative to work out an exercise plan that allows you to maintain your goal weight.

When you do start an exercise program on the Smart for Life program, you are encouraged to increase your intake of water and other clear and calorie-free liquids.

Once you have reached your goal weight, it is recommended that you exercise moderately for at least 3 hours per week.

CONCLUSION

The Smart for Life program is not that much different from other similar diet programs that have you consuming specific trademarked food in order to achieve weight loss. But a very stark red flag with the Smart for Life program is its requirement of hCG injections to jumpstart weight loss. This potentially dangerous and controversial weight loss practice has unknown health effects and is not accepted by the medical community.

The good news is that the Smart for Life program does incorporate such an eating plan with the addition of using their specific foods as well as an exercise plan once you reach your maintenance phase.Moreover, this program does instill in the dieter tools and knowledge for keeping weight off for good.

Even though the Smart for Life is under the supervision of medical doctors who can monitor your progress safely, you are strongly encouraged to exercise caution before spending any money on this weight loss program.

Rather, research on successful weight loss programs has shown us that long-term and immediate weight loss comes from a smart exercise program and an eating plan that includes a low calorie, low saturated fat diet.

User Feedback

(Page 1 of 11, 213 total comments)

linda

My husband started the diet Jan 11, 2015 and has been on the cookie diet for six weeks and together has lost over 20#'s
This is the easiest diet ever with results. Sometimes I do feel a little hungry but after drinking some water the hungry feeling quickly goes away. Good luck to all who choose to do this diet, it really works.

My goal is to lose 30 lbs. in 2.5 months. I've been on the Smart for Life diet for five days, and I have lost four pounds. So far so good, but I am hungry! A couple of days, I ate an extra cookie or two, because I was fearful that I was going to binge on something else. I sure hope the hunger pangs go away soon!!

I just started the Smart 4 Life diet and I do like the taste of the cookies. I work with 3 ladies who are on the diet, lost weight, look amazing and are keeping the wight off. I expect to lose 70 lbs on this diet. Maybe the cookies do not taste great to everyone, but if you are like me, you got fat from eating pizza, nachos and drinking margaritas so how can you expect to lose weight without any sacrifices now? I order my cookies from Costco and purchased my fat free dressings and toppings from Sprouts market. I bought canned and pouches of tuna fish and also fat free vegan burgers and will be posting my SUCCESS on this website. Good luck everyone who has made a decision to live healthy and longer!

posted Jan 3rd, 2012 3:10 pm

Ric

been on the diet 1 week down 6#, have been a little hungry but over the weekend it got alot better.

posted Nov 7th, 2011 2:53 pm

Ric

This is my second time on the diet,,,first time lost 58# and then went back to my old habits. The cookies work if you stay with it. This time cookies seem to taste better. Been on it 8 day have lost 6# on my way again. Good luck to all of US

posted Nov 3rd, 2011 3:31 pm

andree

good diet, easy to fulfill

posted Aug 30th, 2011 3:41 pm

BP

Sending in an update! Just starting week four and have lost 12lbs so far!!! Cookies still taste great. Oatmeal seems to be most filling but switching around with the blueberry and chocolate added some variety. Feel great and cant wait to weigh myself each morning!

posted Jul 18th, 2011 1:24 pm

BP

This is my first week on the diet and Iā??m LOVING it! I canā??t wait to wake up every morning and weigh myself! I started at 207 on Monday and on Wednesday I weighed in at 202! I am female, 40 yrs., 5"5.
A multivitamin is essential even when eating a "regular" diet so Iā??m not too sure why people are freaking out over taking a vitamin.
For those who complained about the taste of the cookie - maybe you need to consider why you got this big to begin with if you can't make any compromise for getting thinner and healthier! If everything tasted as great as a grilled cheese wouldn't life be grand!
I refuse to continue to be fat and sloppy as so many of us have let us lose ourselves in supersizing and eating until we are stuffed. I have been a huge fan of weight watchers and have had much success with it in the past. I decided to turn to Smart for Life this time as I needed to see results quickly! Best of luck to everyone on their weight loss journey.

posted Jun 29th, 2011 1:08 pm

Will

Awesome diet. it's all about the cal intake and training you not to eat bad stuff. The ridged plan does not allow much room for going off track. Lost 14 lbs in the first 18 days. Food is wrth the cost as it's all about hnger control. you get to have one normal meal a day (vegies and lean meat)

posted Jun 27th, 2011 12:18 pm

Jenny

I am currently on the smart for life program and have lost 25 lbs in 6 weeks. The cookies aren't bad, but don't expect them to taste like a homemade chocolate chip cookie. Sticking to the plan has been really easy and I don't feel like I'm starving myself. Drinking at least 64oz of water a day is essential.
You don't have to have the hcg injects, I don't get them.
I meet with the doctor once a week for an evaluation. The blood test they did when I signed up showed I have an underactive thyroid so they are treating it with meds. They provide me with vitamins.
All in all it's really easy. The cookies keep me full and the weight is melting off.
To all those people who didn't like the diet, I'd say you probably weren't committed enough to stick with it. This diet isn't about eating Oreos and expecting to loose weight. It's about retraining your body for proper portion control. The cookies provide your body with the nutrients it needs in order to function. Your body gets used to eating less junk and more nutritious food so that when you stop the cookie diet you're prepared to monitor your own nutrition and portion control.
Short term sacrifice, long term gain.

posted Mar 24th, 2011 11:11 pm

Kristen B.

I absolutely LOVE the smart for life cookie diet.! I love that instead of reaching for something unhealthy that just makes you more hungry. You grab a cookie! They are NOT bad honestly-the people complaining just want to stay fat. I would say try it-I personally love it.

posted Mar 19th, 2011 7:05 pm

momknowsbest

I wrote a review months ago that was never published. I don't know if they didn't like what I had to say or I forgot to hit submit. Let's see if this one gets published.

Basically, I was really disappointed. I bought a bunch telling myself that I would do this cookie diet if it killed me. I guess I didn't tell myself hard enough.

The cookies were really dry. They still don't taste too bad, but I think my problem is I am the kind of person who can only have the same meal 2 or 3 times in a week, then I'm done with it.

I am absolutely sure that you will lose weight if you follow this diet (unless you already eat about 1200 calories a day). I am a healthcare provider and it just makes sense that less calories, you will lose weight.

On this diet I just craved other things too much. It was, "oh no, I have to eat one of those again" and that was only day 2.

Not only that, but the nutritional content of the cookies is awful. You have to take a multi-vitamin to make up for all of the nutrition that is missing.

I decided that it was okay for me to lose my weight a little more slowly, so I have just changed my habits slowly. I do eat the cookies every once in a while, when I don't have time to get real healthy food. I have also found some protein shakes and protein bars with way more vitamins and minerals than the cookies that I use aswell, when I am in a pinch. I am way happier this way. I eat the same stuff as before, I just snack on a cookie or protein bar instead of chips or cookies. I even have icecream or cake a couple of times a week.

I've lost 17 lbs in 6 months (and have moved from "obese" to "overweight"). I still have a ways to go but I am happy with the variety of food I get to eat.

posted Oct 21st, 2010 11:12 am

Tyler

I didn't like it. The first week I lost about 8 pounds, the second week the cookies were getting more hard to choke down, I lost another 6. The next week I found myself throwing up when trying to eat them. I stopped eating them and quickly gained back my weight (and then some). If the "cookies" weren't so bland and dry I think I could have stayed on it long term.

posted Sep 27th, 2010 4:27 pm

Yalin Singer

Excellent program best tasting cookie
Organic , Easy great phone support

posted Sep 22nd, 2010 3:50 pm

cherri perez

These cookies are great, I lost 70 pounds in 7 months and I have been maintaining my weight loss for 8 months by using the cookies. I tried siegels just to see and I did not like them at all I ended up throwing all of them away except the 1 I ate they are like biting into oil nasty! I like all of Smart for life products some better then others and the best part is I finally found a diet that works.

posted Sep 16th, 2010 11:21 am

Pat

I started the Smart for Life program and lost 25 pounds within two months. The key for me was exercise and I only ate a cookie when I was hungry. I have a glass of water before and after the cookie so I was not alway hungry. I also made sure I exercise regularly. I still use the cookies but not so much during the day. Right now I am just trying to maintain and eat healthier. I rarely have red meat and pork. I can't say I'll give them up, but at least I don't have it every week, maybe once a month. The cookes worked for me and I have introduced the cookes to about three people in my office. I keep getting compliments on how much better I look since I have lost the weight.

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